Scent of a Woman
Director: Martin Brest, 1992
Cast: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, Gabrielle Anwar, Phlip Seymour Hoffman
Main Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor (1992): Al Pacino, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture—Drama (1993), Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay (1993): Bo Goldman
Let us put the entire movie aside: how do you interpret the name of the movie? I will open the secret of this seemingly luring title at the end of this short review. In this movie, we have a couple of themes, some of them are major and some are minor. The most significant symbol in the movie is that of sight. A young, inexperienced boy named Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell) is to accompany a blind headstrong Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino) into an unknown trip to "the Heart of Darkness." Charlie can see but cannot see into; on the contrary, Lt. Col. Frank Slade cannot see yet can see into. A green (raw) person as he is, Charlie plays the role of a novice who is sitting in the moving company of a seasoned veteran. Despite being a total simpleton at the beginning, Charlie, through seeing the bitter world through the eyes of Lt. Col. Frank Slade, becomes aware of the troubles of life which he had never touched before, difficulties like hypocrisy, scandal, bribery, and suffering from snitches.
On the other side of the duality stands Lt. Col. Frank Slade who loves verbal fencing with his usually weak opponents and spikes them with his witticism no matter where or when that might be. He has hedonistic characteristics, too, which lead him to include lewd talks anytime possible, even during a drink in an airplane on a flight. However, he is not perfect in that he lacks the power of sight he once enjoyed. He actually starts his death trip he had already planned in his mind and since he needs a helper, he chooses Charlie to be the beholder of his annihilation. Finally, Charlie with venturing his life over the mulish man's effort for suicide manages to stop the act.
Now here comes the time to ponder the name of the movie. "Scent of a Woman" means that because Lt. Col. Frank Slade has lost his power of sight due to an inaccuracy in timing a grenade's explosion, he has replaced it with his olfactory. I think the word "woman" in this phrase symbolizes utmost beauty, perfection, and harmony in God's creation. Just hark to Lt. Col. Frank Slade's promiscuous description of a woman's body in the plane. That would be enough!
All in all, it is a recommendable movie, for Al Pacino's remarkably outstanding performance and also Chris O'Donnell's noticeable give-and-take with this paramount icon of acting of all times.)
I know they are a lot more but let us review some memorable quotes from this movie:
Lt. Col. Frank Slade's: Just call me Frank. Call me Mr. Slade. Call me... Colonel, if you must, just don't call me 'Sir'.
Charlie: All right. Colonel.
Lt. Col. Frank Slade's: The day we stop lookin', Charlie, is the day we die.
Lt. Col. Frank Slade's: It's a great day for singing a song / It's a great day for moving along / It's a great day for morning to night / It's a great day for everybody's plight.
[Charlie is futilely striving to stop the stubborn man from suicide]
Charlie: Get on with your life, will you?
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: What life? I got no life. I'm in the dark here, do you understand? I'm in the dark… (Compare this with the previous quotes. The day Lt. Col. Frank Slade: stopped looking was his "death-day" so he is literally dead).
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Oh, where do I go from here, Charlie?
Charlie: If you're tangled up, just tango on.
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: You askin' me to dance, Charlie?
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: I don't know if Charlie's silence here today is right or wrong; I'm not a judge or jury. But I can tell you this: he won't sell anybody out to buy his future!
By President Evil
http://opinion.persianblog.com
